1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus and method, particularly relates to a display control technique of controlling the display based on a touch panel and a proximity detection result.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an increasing number of image capturing apparatuses include an eyepiece viewfinder and a display arranged on the rear surface to determine the composition of a shooting object and confirm an image acquired by image capturing. Some image capturing apparatuses include a display capable of touch panel input so that the user can more easily operate the image capturing apparatus. However, when the user shoots an image while looking through the eyepiece viewfinder, he is dazzled if the display on the rear surface keeps ON. To solve this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-331472 discloses a display control apparatus in which a light amount detection sensor installed in an eyepiece viewfinder determines the approach of an eye and a display on the rear surface is turned off.
It is also becoming popular to adopt a touch panel as both the display and operation unit of a mobile phone or the like. When the user speaks over the mobile phone while bringing it close to his ear, he does not need to see the display. In this case, if the illumination of the display is kept ON, it consumes power. Further, the user is dazzled by emission from the mobile phone brought close to the head (ear). To solve this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-278043 discloses a method of, when it is detected that a mobile phone has come close to the ear, turning off the backlight of the display and/or operation unit to avoid unwanted power consumption.
However, for a display capable of touch panel input, these conventional techniques may detect a touch operation erroneously as the approach of the head (approach of the eye or ear) of a user, and turn off the display unintentionally. The user may lose a portion of the touch panel he should touch, impairing operability.